Khojaly genocide victims commemorated in Chisinau
Chisinau, February 25, AZERTAC
The Azerbaijani Embassy in Moldova has organized a conference dedicated to the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.
Prior to the conference, the participants put flowers at the Khojaly bas-relief outside the Azerbaijani Embassy.
The conference started with a minute of silence for victims of the Khojaly tragedy.
Members of the Moldovan parliament, public figures, representatives of the diplomatic corps, historians, employee of the State Committee on Work with the Diaspora of Azerbaijan, journalists, as well as Azerbaijanis living in Moldova attended the conference.
Addressing the conference, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Moldova Ulvi Bakhshaliyev said that the Khojaly genocide was one of the most terrifying tragedies faced by the Azerbaijani people in the 20th century. He noted that the Azerbaijani people have repeatedly been subjected to ethnic cleansing and genocide by Armenian chauvinists in the last two centuries. “Azerbaijanis were expelled from their historical lands in Western Azerbaijan, became refugees and internally displaced persons, and all this was accompanied by massacres committed by Armenians,” the diplomat underlined.
The ambassador emphasized that exposing the perpetrators of the Khojaly tragedy and the raising international public awareness of the Khojaly genocide have been identified by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev as one of the priority areas of the country's foreign policy.
The Azerbaijani diplomat also highlighted the special role of Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, in raising international public awareness of the Khojaly genocide. He underscored that the international campaign “Justice for Khojaly!” initiated by Leyla Aliyeva, have been exposing the true face of Armenian nationalists since 2008.
Other speakers at the conference included Vitalie Jacot, a member of the Parliament of Moldova, Chairman of the Moldova-Azerbaijan interparliamentary friendship group, and Elchin Bayramov, Chairman of the Congress of Moldovan Azerbaijanis.
Emil Huseynli
Special correspondent
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